MetroPolis Hosts Workshop to Shape New Policy Engagement Readiness Index

We are delighted to have hosted the first of five regional workshops organised by the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) as part of the development of the Policy Engagement Readiness Index (PERI); a new framework being developed to help universities assess and strengthen their capacity for policy engagement.

The workshop was led by the PERI team, consisting of Dr Chris Hewson (Head of Policy Engagement and UPEN Co-Chair, University of Huddersfield) , Dr Nat Easton (Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Southampton) and Yaryna Basystyuk (Head of Public Policy Southampton, University of Southampton). Together, they facilitated discussions on the development of the Policy Engagement Readiness Index (PERI), a framework designed to help universities assess and strengthen their capacity for policy engagement.

The Manchester workshop brought together researchers, knowledge exchange professionals and policy engagement specialists from Manchester Met and universities across the region to provide feedback on the proposed framework. Participants explored key questions around how ‘readiness’ for policy engagement should be defined and measured, the types of data and evidence that would be most useful for institutions, and how any future assessment process could support strategic planning and organisational learning.

The event featured a series of facilitated breakout discussions designed to gather perspectives from those working at the intersection of research and policy. Participants were invited to scrutinise draft metrics, discuss institutional approaches to policy engagement, and consider how a framework such as PERI could help universities identify strengths, address gaps, build capacity and secure resourcing for future policy engagement activity.

The workshop forms part of a wider programme of engagement that will take place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Insights gathered from each event will help inform the development of the framework before it is tested more broadly across different types of higher education institutions.

For MetroPolis, hosting the workshop reflected Manchester Met’s commitment to strengthening the role of research in public policy and supporting the development of effective policy engagement practice across the sector. Bringing together colleagues from different institutions provided an opportunity to share experiences, identify common challenges and contribute to a national conversation about how universities can maximise the impact of their research beyond academia.

The workshop also reinforced Manchester Met’s growing reputation as a centre for policy engagement, helping to ensure that academic expertise is equipped to inform policymaking at local, regional and national levels. The feedback generated through the event will play an important role in shaping the future direction of PERI and supporting the development of a practical framework for universities across the UK.

For further details on this work, please contact Nat Easton (n.h.c.easton@soton.ac.uk).